The Falcon and the Mirage (2001) [OCR PDF]

Though it's now a bit on the dated side, some peeps interested in military-related subjects might find this of use/worth. Those folks that actually work in associated fields (as I used to) likely already have full access to this reference, and others like it, through DAU/NDU/AKO/etc.



Titling

THE FALCON AND THE MIRAGE: Managing For Combat Effectiveness



Authorship Info

Benedict A. Kausal, IV



Bibliographic Details

2001, 148pp

Defense Acquisition University Press

ISBN: 1-893833-04-7

(A DAU Press production created November 2001 using PageMaker 6.52 and Acrobat Distiller 4.0)



Description

Over the last several decades a significant body of writings has appeared on "management"; the reading public has shown a thirst for new management concepts, ideas, or trends that will make them better managers in their chosen field(s).



Within the Department of Defense (DoD) and the three military departments —Army, Navy, Air Force— billions of dollars are spent to develop, produce, field, and operate military weapon systems. The hub of that activity, at least in the Air Force, is the System Program Office (SPO). Little has been written on the management activities of a program office.



Peter Drucker has said, "Size determines complexity". If he was correct, one of the most difficult management tasks may be the management of an acquisition program. For an acquisition system is large, with many players, and many agendas; just within DoD competing interests exist between the Services, and internally the Air Force struggles with competing interests. Laws, rules, and regulations govern the process, but technical difficulties arise in any program regardless of its lifespan. Problems occur whether developing new systems or just keeping old systems up-to-date. And finally finding one’s way through the maze of laws, organizations, and politics of the Pentagon and its acquisition system is a real challenge.



This case study looks at the "hub" of activity in the acquisition business: the System Program Office (SPO). This is a transnational comparison. The approach is to examine, compare, and contrast the management methods, processes, and procedures of the French Délégation Générale pour l’Armement’s (DGA) Mirage Aircraft Program and the United States Air Force’s F-16 Fighter Aircraft Program for insight into more efficient management practices. These are not idle questions reserved for academia, but rather real issues to be faced by acquisition public decision makers. What is the most effective and cost efficient structure for managing a program office? What tasks and responsibilities does a program office perform? Can, and should, some of these be accomplished by industry? The bottom line question is how to deliver a complex weapon system such as the Mirage or F-16 at a cost the government and the public can afford and that is militarily effective.



In France and the United States, defense is big business and each country continues to allocate significant amounts of their national resources for the security of the nation. With competing demands for newer and better weapon systems versus domestic needs, acquisition organizations from both countries will keep the spotlight on cutting the costs of new and existing weapons.



Organizations mold behavior, but the organizations were created for a variety of reasons to include ideology, cultural constraints, and history. What is the effect of political and bureaucratic institutions on the acquisition system? What special problems arise from public accountability and political control? Within this environment, the business of meeting the future armament needs of the military continues, and our need to know how they are to continue doing it remains.



Content headings/sub-headings include...

The French National Milieu

Political-Military Environment

Ministry of Defense

Délégation Générale pour l’Armement’s (DGA) Role & Organization

Acquisition Program Management

Planning, Programming, and Budgeting

Procurement/Contracting System

DGA Workforce Fonctionaires & Education

Collaboration and Armament Sales



The US National Milieu

Political Military Environment

Congressional Involvement in Acquisition

DoD Acquisition Structure & AF Materiel Command

Development of Military Requirements

Planning, Programming, and Budgeting System

Acquisition Management System

Integrated Product Teams

Procurement/Contracting System

Defense Acquisition and Technology Workforce

Cooperation and Armament Sales



Industry-Gov't Relationships

US Defense Industrial Base & Trends

French Defense Industrial Base

Restructuring & Globalization of French Industry



French Mirage 2000 Program

Program History

Mirage Aircraft

Air Force Combat Aircraft Division

Tactical Missiles Program Division

Integrated Program Teams

Program Managers and Personnel (Education & Experience)

Management Practices (Decision, Reform, Outside Influences, Config Control, Budgeting)

Business Arrangements



United States F-16 Program

Program History

Fighting Falcon Aircraft

Aeronautical Systems Center & Ogden Air Logistics Center

F-16 System Program Office Groups

Integrated Program Team

Program Managers and Personnel (Functional Discipline, Education, Training, Turnover)

Management Practices (Decision, Reform, Foreign Mil Sales, Outside Influence, Config Updates)

Business Arrangements



Contrast Of Program Management

Politics and Armament Acquisition

Breadth of Defense Activities

Way of Doing Business

Decision Making

Difference in Management Styles







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